eBay Enters Telecom
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DEALS |
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WHO |
WITH |
WHAT |
SCOOP |
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eBay |
Skype |
eBay will buy Skype for $2.6B plus an additional $1.5B by 2009 if financial goals are met. |
Some insiders see the deal as a departure for eBay; others compare it to eBay's 2002 acquisition of PayPal. Still others say Skype's name recognition and existing infrastructure are not worth the price, leaving many to wonder why eBay didn't just build their own VoIP service or buy cheaper. |
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Access |
PalmSource |
Access to buy PalmSource for $324M. |
The motivating factor for the deal may have been PalmSource's recent move toward a Linux-based handset platform and away from the company's legacy OS. |
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Skype |
E-Plus |
E-Plus will bundle Skype's VoIP software with its 3G wide area data card service. |
Skype will serve as E-Plus' exclusive VoIP partner. The bundled VoIP, 3G data offering will be available in October for €39.95 per month. |
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Avaya |
Meru |
Avaya will offer Meru's WLAN and wireless VoIP solutions. |
The deal will further expand Meru's reach into the enterprise IT market. |
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Sprint Nextel |
Sirius Satellite Radio |
Sprint Nextel offers Sirius Satellite Radio to its subscribers through the Sprint Media Player for $6.95 per month. |
Users of the service will also need a wireless data plan, which typically costs an additional $15 per month, and one of Sprint Nextel's seven multimedia handsets. |
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3 |
Sony BMG |
3 forged a mobile music partnership with Sony BMG to sell full-length audio tracks directly to handsets over 3's network. |
3's subscribers will be able to access all the artists for which Sony BMG UK has mobile rights. |